Why buttonless? I like buttons.
Heck, a scroll wheel would be a killer feature so I don't smudge the screen with my disgusting oils
this post was submitted on 14 Jul 2026
688 points (98.7% liked)
Technology
86563 readers
3203 users here now
This is a most excellent place for technology news and articles.
Our Rules
- Follow the lemmy.world rules.
- Only tech related news or articles.
- Be excellent to each other!
- Mod approved content bots can post up to 10 articles per day.
- Threads asking for personal tech support may be deleted.
- Politics threads may be removed.
- No memes allowed as posts, OK to post as comments.
- Only approved bots from the list below, this includes using AI responses and summaries. To ask if your bot can be added please contact a mod.
- Check for duplicates before posting, duplicates may be removed
- Accounts 7 days and younger will have their posts automatically removed.
Approved Bots
founded 3 years ago
MODERATORS
Buttons and scroll wheels cost more than touchscreens at this point… 90s me wanted touchscreens on everything, and me since maybe 2015? has been firmly “bring back buttons”
…whenever they started replacing useful things that SHOILD be buttons always (car) with touch things. Absolutely not bueno.
It’s so you green light driverless cars faster. I would like that tech to mature before surrendering buttons
Buttons and scroll wheels cost more than touchscreens at this point…
It's not that they cost MORE, they can be sub-cent per unit if you buy enough of them:
Of course they cost MORE than putting all their functions on a tiny touch screen that’s already gonna be on the device!
Beyond manufacturing the device to be able to use separate physical moving pieces, you’ve also got costs supporting pieces that break in warranty, units damaged in shipping due to moving parts being tossed around, etc.
For just the part yes. Board design, programming, and manufacture costs increase with more components.
load more comments
(1 replies)
load more comments
(10 replies)
But I want buttons. Without buttons I always do the wrong gesture.
I read on a kindle on my bed before going to sleep, and everytime I stretch or turn over the font size changes or it advances a couple of pages. It's slowly driving me insane.
Why is "buttonless" being said like a good thing?
It’s a fact? It has no buttons. God or bad
Yes, but my point was that it was stated in a way like a feature being touted as opposed just a statement of fact, Maybe my impression was wrong, but "buttonless" immediately put me off from the device.
load more comments
(1 replies)
load more comments
(10 replies)
That screen is absolutely tiny.
I actually just got one of these things (https://www.xteink.com/products/xteink-x4) that has a 4" screen (WITH BUTTONS) for $55 on Amazon and I kinda love it. I think my perfect phone would be something this size with GrapheneOS support and a headphone jack.
load more comments
(16 replies)
Yeah that seems like a really uncomfortably small screen to read on.
load more comments
(2 replies)
Why would you pay $150 for a 4.26" ESP32- based eReader when you could get a 4.26" ESP32-based eReader for $70 or less? The XTEink X4 is already available.
You can find a comparison on the CrowdSupply page. Xteink X4 does not let you easily replace the battery, for example.
Thanks for mentioning the comparison. It was farther down than I had previously scrolled. TL;DR frontlight, touchscreen, user-replaceable battery, but also bigger bezels, double the price, and looks to be 3D printed instead of injection-molded. Comes with open firmware instead of just allowing it, but that's a non-factor to anyone with a little computer knowledge, which I suspect includes basically every potential buyer of this sort of device.
The XTEink X4 Pro has a front light and a touchscreen, but needs a magnetic adapter to charge (comes with one and they're cheap to replace, but still an extra thing to lose). It's $110 MSRP.
I recently picked up an Xteink X4 for $55. Flashed the Crosspoint firmware on it. Crosspoint just works and has no bloat. I love being able to set the device and send books via the self-hosted web interface. Sending books via wifi from Calibre works too.
Buttons on the reader are nice. I actually prefer not having a touchscreen for something so small. I do wish it had a front light though. This turned out to be the less-expensive-non-Android-just-an-ereader alternative to Boox that I was searching for. Loving it so far.
load more comments
(4 replies)
And you have open firmware for it: https://hackaday.com/2026/04/05/pocket-sized-e-ink-gets-a-firmware-upgrade/
load more comments
(2 replies)
Buttonless ? Fuck that 😅 I want at least a home button and page turning buttons...
Yeah I've got a buttonless reader that I got as a gift and I'm thankful to have it but it sucks. Give me buttons.
Especially as it gets older and slower now I'll give it swipe or tap and wonder, did it register and it's just taking a while...? should I try again? five more times?? oh you've really got to let your finger linger I guess? no? huh that worked last t--oh! It's going! Oh shoot this is way too far.. so now I just have to swipe.. back.., -_-
brushes against the screen "What the hell did I just hit? Where is my screen?"
taps against the spot 50 times "Respond!!"
I flashed my Kobo and have a pretty similar experience now. Except with a decent size screen.
I've had a Kobo Clara BW for about 2 years. I use it almost every day and I love it. I think it was about $140 when I bought it. They go for $160 now, but I think the bigger screen makes it a better buy than this e-reader. I love crowd-funded projects, but Kobo is a better option, imho.
load more comments
(2 replies)
load more comments
(1 replies)
Lots of people complaining about buttons, but most people are fine without them.
This thing will fail because of the tiny screen, not because of the lack of buttons.
Sad choice.
load more comments
(6 replies)
so.... a used kobo??
What's wrong with Kobo?
One never knows. Better to have alternatives today than to hope nothing goes downhill in the future.
Nothing. I love my Kobo, I take it everywhere and it has a literal zero amount of enshittification. You can set it to sideloaded mode by connecting it to your PC which totally hides the store and Kobo's online features. I manage my books in Calibre.
load more comments
(9 replies)
In the great debate of buttons be no buttons, please keep in mind that it was likely a decision about components. Just a screen makes it far cheaper and easier to manufacture.
I do agree, buttons or GTFO, but understand why there might not be any.
If they are targeting the tiny ebook reader niche, they're going to have to do better on features and pricing than the upcoming refresh of the XTEINK devices.
But XTEINK is actively working to combat the flashing of open source software. It seems they had a spike in sales and interest due to their affordable hardware, but if they continue to lock aftermaket software out tech savvy people will be looking for different options.
Update: I just saw that CrossPoint has has an affiliate link, and that if you buy the reader direct from the manufacture you can still get unlocked USB devices. It's only on the international stores like AliExpress that you may get a crippled version. https://github.com/crosspoint-reader/crosspoint-reader
load more comments
(4 replies)
load more comments
(3 replies)
There is this as well which is cheaper and uses RISC-V instead
https://www.xteink.com/products/xteink-x4
Both look like great options though.
Damn, at 10mm thickness that's a chubby little SOB, nearly twice as fat as my leaf 2. And with a tiny 4.26" screen on top of that, yikes...I love my 7" screen, I'd hate to read on a screen smaller than that.
load more comments
(4 replies)
I'm looking for an open source ReMarkable alternative. A4 sized preferably. Any options out there?
load more comments
(2 replies)
Why did I read that as 150 buttholes?
If anyone wants to see the old project: https://hackaday.io/project/192688-the-open-book
Its been around for a bit. The newest iteration looks like its trying to be more like kindle.
GH page: https://github.com/joeycastillo/The-Open-Book
I forget where but the developer goes over the cost of the physical hardware a couple of years ago somewhere. Its kinda expensive to make your own open source ebook reader from mostly scratch.
I like this version: https://www.oddlyspecificobjects.com/projects/openbook/
Very similar to https://diptyx.dev/
But its been around longer. Software looks really good for an esp32. Im hoping we see more of these open source ebook readers pop up.
load more comments
(2 replies)
view more: next ›